Nicholas Augustine
Nicholas Augustine, also referred to as simply Nicholas (September 4th, 1933 - October 31st, 2019) was a Valorian public figure and politician who served as the 3rd sovereign of Valoria from 1976 to 1980, and later as 33rd prime minister of Valoria from 1986 to 1989, and then again from 1997 to 1999.
Nicholas was born in 1933, into the powerful Augustine political family. He was his father's last child. At the time, his grandfather was prime minister, and his father was serving in his cabinet. In 1942, when Nicholas was nine, his grandfather declared himself Michael I, King of Valoria, thus making Nicholas royalty, and youngest child of the heir apparent. In 1955, when Nicholas was 21, his father acceded to the throne, and named Nicholas as crown prince. Nicholas also served as chief diplomat under his father's reign. Although this led to conflict with the rest of his family, especially his brother Michael, Nicholas remained heir apparent until 1976, when Michael II died.
Upon becoming king, Nicholas quickly reversed many of the authoritarian policies put in place by his two predecessors. He brought democracy back to Valoria in the Democratic Decree of 1976, re-instating the popularly-elected office of prime minister.
In 1980, Nicholas was deposed and imprisoned by his elder brother in the Crown Crisis. He would eventually be liberated, but never returned to the throne. As a private citizen, Nicholas joined the Conference and entered the political system he had helped create. He ran for prime minister for the first time in 1986, easily winning the election. He would run for re-election once eligible in 1997, winning once more. During his political career, he developed an intense rivalry with Movement leader Nathan Crawford.
After the 2010 election, in which archrival Nathan Crawford failed to win a third term to the West Wing, Nicholas began to withdraw from politics. He continued to live in Boston until his death on October 31st, 2019.
Nicholas remains a divisive figure, praised on one hand for his voluntary contributions towards bringing democracy back to Valoria, but criticized on the other for a number of controversies during his political career. He remains one of the most influential figures in Valorian history, and arguably the most influential during the constitutional monarchy, along with his archrival Nathan Crawford.